Ship-propelling device



May 26, 1.925. 1,539,814

E. KlTTELsEN SHIP PROPELLING DEVICE Fned'sept. 18, 192s -ZF/7 rer? for"Patented May 26, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,539,814 PATENT OFFICE.

ING XLTTLSEN, OF EIDSVLD VERK, NORWAY; ASSIGNOR TO LLOYD PROPUL- SIGNlLTD., OF EIDSVOLD VERK, NORWAY.

SHIP-PROPELLING DEVICE.

Application lcd September 18, 1923. Serial No. 663,472.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ERLING KirrELsEN, subject of Norway, residing at,Eidsvold Verk, Norway, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in a Ship-Propelling Device, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to the propulsion of ships and has for itsobject the provision of an improved propelling means for ships, andparticularly for craft which are intended to navigate relatively shallowwaters. The invention is especially adapted for use in the driving oftow or tug boats used on rivers and other shallow waters.

In the propulsion of ships, it has heretofore been customary to derivethe propelling force from the acceleration of sections or masses ofwater collectively of a breadth, at the region of contact vices, notexceeding that of the ship, the propelling devices being located at thestern. Propelling devices, such for example, as paddle wheels, have alsobeen placed on the sides of the ship. In some cases it has also beenproposed to employ propelling devices disposed at the stern incombination with side paddle wheels located amidships. In this latterarrangement, however, the side propelling devices and the propellingdevices located at the stern operate on independent and separate massesof water, and

there is, therefore, little,'if any, increase in the efficiency ofpropulsion.

River tug boats, particularly, must frequently work in shallow waterand-great difficulty is met with in developing sufficient power, or inother words, sufiicient'propelling force to conveniently andeconomically handle the load which is being towed. Not infrequently intug boats of this type the propelling devices now employed are driven atexcessive speed, which causes a relatively lar e slip of -the propellingdevices. Accor ingly, the efficiency of opera- 'tion is low, arelatively large amount of power being necessary in order to drive thepropelling devices at these high and inefficient speeds.

According to my invention, a relatively large amount of water is actedupon by the propelling means without increasing the draft of the ship.The propelling means is operatively mounted in a supporting structureextending across the stern and beyond of the propelling de-A both sidesof the ship, the propelling means acting upon a substantially unbrokenmass of water at the rear of, and of greater width than, the ship. Thepropelling devices employed are preferably in the form of paddle wheelsarranged side by side and preferably in staggered relation so that eachwheel acts upon a section of water which is untouched by the wheel inadvance thereof. In this way a relatively large mass of water isaccelerated to a relatively low velocity and the losses ordinarilyproduced by molecular friction and surface tension of the water aregreatly reduced. I have found that by emplaying the principles of thepresent invention the amount of motive power required to drive a ship ofgiven size and weight can be remarkably reduced. Moreover, the wash onthe bottom of the canal or e, which the tug boat may be op"` least noreater than when hauling a smaller load wit a given sized tug equippedwith the ordinary propelling devices commonly employed at present.

In the drawing various constructions are shown for carrying out theinvention.

Fig. 1 is a plan of a tugboat partly in section in which paddle wheelsare use.

Fig. 2 is a side view, and

Fig. 3 a plan of a tugboat fi propellers. n

Flg. 4 is a cross Section il 4--4 of Fig. 2.

In the construction shown in Fig. l a plurality of paddle wheels 1 arelmounted as one compact propelling device at ships stern and arrangedside by side in siege-ered position with regard to the ion" l di rectionof the ship in such V operatively extend over the whole available @5normal breadth of the ship and beyond both sides of the same, wherebythey act on a compact stream of water surpassing the normal breadth ofthe ship. The transmission of the power for every shaft 2 of the paddle100 wheels derived from the main driving source, such as the motors 3,can be so small, that worm gears 4 can be used with advantage in groups.

Instead of making use of paddle wheels 05 screw propellers 1 may beemployed as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These propellers are likewisearranged side by side, and the stream of water, on which they act,surpasses ven by screw the line additional frames 6 may be mountedlaterally on the stern of the ship. These frames can be of anyconventional form, and merely aforda bearing of any suitable kind forthe outermost screw propellers. The shafts 7 are journaled in theseframes at an in` oline, so as to allow them to be operatively connectedwith the main shaft 5 by couplings 8 for instance cranks and connectingrods above the water. Thelarge cross section and the breadth of thedriving stream of Water produced by all modes of construction naturallystrainsthe complete construction of the shi considerably. For-this reason itis of a vantage to construct one or more ofthe longitudinal walls9 extending into the superstructure of the deck as a beam, which reachesdown to the bottom of the ship, Fig/1. The longitudinal strains are inthis case transmitted to the inner carrying surface to the desireddegree. This has also the advantage, that the deck may be arranged solow as may be permitted with bridges or similarobstacles for highvessels are met there will be difficulties in constructing the boats,for instance on account of the hindrance in passing below the bridgedeck or conning bridge, and such diliiculties are obviated by theconstruction shown in Figs.

`2 and 4. This construction has also the advantage that the free spaceunder deck allows of an undisturbed arrangement of the system of aplurality of shafts.

I claim:

1. The combination in a ship, of a propeller-supporting structureextending across the stern and beyond both sides of the ship, andpropelling means yoperatively mounted in the supporting structure toaccelerate a substantially lunbroken mass of water at the rear of, andof greater width than, the ship.

2. The combination in a ship,v of a propeller-supporting structureextending across' the stern and beyond bothsides of the ship, and aplurality of propelling devices mounted side by side in the supportingstructure and acting tif m; a substantially lunbroken vmass of Water atthe rear of, and of great-er width than, the ship.

3. The combination in a ship, of a propeller-supporting structureextending across the stern and beyond both sides of the ship, and aplurality of propelling devices mountedside by side in staggeredrelation in the supporting structure and acting upon a substantiallyunbroken massof Water at tie rear of, and of greater width than, thesnp. 'i

4. The combination in a ship, of a propeller-suppo'rting structureextending across the stern and beyond both sides of the ship, and aplurality of paddle wheels mounted' side by side in the supportingstructure and acting upon a substantially unbroken mass of water at therear of and of greater'width than, the ship.

5. The combination in a ship, .of a propeller-supporting structureextending across the stern and beyond both sides of the ship, and aplurality of paddle wheels mounted side by side in staggered relation inthe supporting structure and actinr upon a substantially unbroken mass'of water at the rear of, and of greater width than, the ship.

6. The combination in a shi of propellin means operatively mounte at thestern an acting upon a substantially unbroken mass of water at the rearof, and of greater width than, the ship, a superstructure on the deck ofthe ship, and a longitudinal beamrunning lengthwise through the ship andreaching into the superstructure. 7

7. The combination in a ship, of propelling devices operatively mountedat the stern and acting upon a substantially un-- mi,l

broken mass of Water at the'rearof, and of greater width than, the ship,additional rames mounted at the ships stern` for car-- rying theoutermost pro ellin devices, a superstructure on the" ec of t e ship,and

a longitudinal beam running .lengthwisef f through the ship and reachinginto the superstructure. ERLINGKITTELSEN.

